Toshi Reagon

Toshi Reagon (born in Atlanta in 1964) is an American folk/blues musician. She is the daughter of Freedom Singers co-founders Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon, founder of Sweet Honey in the Rock, with whom she has sometimes collaborated on musical projects and of Cordell Hull Reagon, a leader of the civil rights movement in Albany, member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and co-founder of The Freedom Singers. She is also the goddaughter of folk singer, Pete Seeger and named after his wife, Toshi Seeger.[1]

Reagon began performing when she dropped out of college; soon afterward, Lenny Kravitz invited her to open for him on his first world tour. She has since shared the stage with performers ranging from Ani Difranco to Elvis Costello.

Her band, BIGLovely, has been performing together since September 1996. The name allegedly comes from a love-letter she received from her girlfriend, which was addressed "To My BIGLovely." The band includes Judith Casselberry on acoustic guitar and vocals, Robert "Chicken" Burke on drums, Fred Cass, Jr. on bass, Adam Widoff on electric guitar, and Catherine Russell on mandolin and vocals. The line-up also includes Jen Leigh, Ann Klein, Debbie Robinson, Allison Miller, Kismet Lyles and Stephanie McKay as replacements.

In 2015 Reagon was named a Ford Foundation Art of Change Fellow. [2]

Reagon, a lesbian, lives in Brooklyn, New York with her partner and their daughter.[3]

Discography

  • 1990 Justice Flying Fish Records
  • 1994 The Rejected Stone, self-released
  • 1997 Kindness Smithsonian Folkways
  • 1999 The Righteous Ones Razor and Tie
  • 2001 Africans in America Soundtrack w/Bernice Johnson Reagon, Various artists. Ryco
  • 2002 TOSHI, Razor and Tie
  • 2004 I Be Your Water, limited self release
  • 2005 Have You Heard Righteous Babe Records
  • 2008 Until We’re Done self-release
  • 2009 Lava: We Become self-release
  • 2010 There and Back Again self-release

She has also appeared on numerous Compilations and Benefit recordings including:

  • Shout Sister Shout, a tribute to Sister Rosetta Thorpe and Respond II.
  • Dreaming Wide Awake, Lizz Wright with Toshi Reagon: Vocals
  • Real Music, Chocolate Genius with Toshi Reagon: Vocals
  • Raise Your Voice, Sweet Honey In The Rock collaboration with Toshi Reagon and BIGLovely
  • Africans In America, Rycodisc, Toshi Reagon: Musician, Composer and Associate Producer
  • The Temptation of Saint Anthony
  • Every Mother Counts Starbucks

Toshi is the esteemed producer of many recordings including:

  • The Temptation of Saint Anthony Studio Cast Recording, Songtalk Music 2006
  • Sweet Honey in the Rock: The Women Gather, 30th Anniversary Earthbeat Records, 2003
  • Sweet Honey in the Rock: Sacred Ground, Earthbeat Records, 1995 Co-produced with Bernice Johnson Reagon
  • Sweet Honey in the Rock: In This Land, Earthbeat Records, 1992 Co-produced with Bernice Johnson Reagon

She also appeared on the TV show The L Word in the last episode of season 4 where she sings a song on the beach at Tasha's party.

References

  1. ↑ Brennan, Carol. "Reagon, Toshi." Contemporary Black Biography. Ed. Derek Jacques, Janice Jorgensen, and Paula Kepos. Vol. 76. Detroit: Gale, 2010. 148-150. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 8 Dec. 2014.
  2. ↑ Chang, Lia. "David Henry Hwang, Laura Poitras, Amitav Ghosh, Deeyah Khan, Bill Rauch, Robert Battle, Carrie Mae Weems named among 13 Ford Foundation “Art of Change” Fellows". BackstagePasswithLiaChang.com, April 15, 2015
  3. ↑ Jonas, Liana (April 30, 2002), "Toshi gets ready to rock", The Advocate, retrieved 2007-10-22

External links